flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Enter the world of deep time: David H. Koch Hall of Fossils

Reconstruction Awards

Enter the world of deep time: David H. Koch Hall of Fossils

The new enclosed FossiLab gives visitors a glimpse into the exacting work of Smithsonian scientists and preservationists.


By Robert Cassidy, Executive Editor | December 10, 2019
Smithsonian Koch Hall

Photo: Smithsonian Institution

The nearly four-year restoration of the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils and installation of the new Deep Time exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History—from building design and construction, to specimen conservation and installation, to exhibit design and fabrication, and finally to commissioning—took place even as the 1910 Beaux Arts gallery remained open to eight million annual visitors.

The project team, led by design firm EwingCole, uncovered and restored the magnificent skylight above the hall. The designers used a glazing system based on aerogel nanotechnology to act as insulator and filter against UV light and heat, bringing daylight into the gallery for the first time in two decades and protecting the 65-million-year-old specimens below.

The hall’s ornate plasterwork, which had been lost for generations, was recreated by skilled craft workers using ancient methods. Templates for the new moldings were cast from original building fabric in a sibling gallery, Sant Ocean Hall.

The new enclosed FossiLab gives visitors a glimpse into the exacting work of Smithsonian scientists and preservationists, while mitigating high levels of noise and dust pollution from adjacent galleries.

 

HONORABLE MENTION

BUILDING TEAM EwingCole (submitting firm, architect, SE, MEP) Smithsonian Institution—Smithsonian Facilities/Office of Planning, Design and Construction (owner) Reich + Petch (exhibit designer) Grunley Construction (GC) DETAILS 32,000 sf Total cost $125 million Construction time August 2015 to June 2019 Delivery method Design-bid-build

Related Stories

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

BD+C's 2016 Reconstruction Award Winners

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Lovejoy Wharf, and the Bay Area Metro Center are just a few of the projects recognized as 2016 Reconstruction Award winners.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: The Renwick Gallery of The Smithsonian American Art Museum

The renovation restored two long-concealed vaulted ceilings in the second-floor galleries and recreated the original 19th-century window configuration.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: Massachusetts Maritime Academy

The two-story “overbuild” employed block and plank construction with drag strut detailing to connect it to the existing building.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: The Masonic Temple

The building team suspended a new eighth-floor mezzanine and added 18 9x15-foot windows to the north, south, and west façades.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building

The building team used a system of rocking concrete shear walls, which eliminated the need for deep foundations and reduced the shear force on each wall.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: Arc at Old Colony

The Arc at Old Colony's vintage floor plans, voluminous lobby, and myriad elevators were perfect for redevelopment as a historically charming residential building.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: Noble Chapel

In May 2013 the 124-year-old Noble Chapel, suffered a three-alarm fire that almost completely destroyed its 1937 crematorium.

Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016

Reconstruction Awards: Bay Area Metro Center

The structure’s 60,000-sf floor plates made the interior dark and foreboding, and BAHA wanted to improve working conditions for its employees and tenants. 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Giants 400

BD+C Awards Programs

Entry information and past winners for Building Design+Construction's two major awards programs: 40 Under 40 and Giants 400



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021